Many family-owned businesses are resistant to forming a board for their company. Leaders of these firms fear they will lose control of their company if they create a board – either a board of directors (who have fiduciary responsibility) or a board of advisors (who only make recommendations). Another concern is that of revealing secrets – usually financial secrets, such as keeping the matriarch of the family or an uncle on payroll, even though he or she doesn’t contribute to the business – to outside scrutiny.

While these are normal and understandable concerns, in our experience a well-constructed board is a competitive asset to a family-owned company or a small to mid-sized company. A board serves at the discretion of the owners of the firm, meaning the owners can hire and fire directors at any time. Truly, any fears of losing control and unfounded.

Companies and work teams that laugh together, perform together. Making your workplace a fun place pays off in happier workers, and happier workers are generally more productive workers. It’s really a simple formula:

Fun workplace = happier workers = more productive workers

Humans are social animals, and we love to eat together. Food is a team-builder, so bring on the calories! Here are just a few ways to use food to build your people into a high-performance team: